With 96 per cent of households lacking clean water, many malnourished children are not surviving long enough to receive hospital care. James Elder, Spokesperson for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), told at a news briefing in Geneva that it would be a mistake to assume the situation is improving. “There’s a sense through the world’s […]
“The world wants and indeed needs a plastic conventional treaty because the crisis is getting out of hand – and people are frankly outraged,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN agency leading the talks. “We know that plastic is in our nature, in our oceans, and yes, […]
The children picked up the unexploded ordnance in a nearby field, mistaking it for a toy, and brought it back to their village where it later detonated, UNICEF said. The ordnance is likely one of the many unexploded shells left over from the military clashes between Pakistan and India in May, according to news reports. […]
He expressed particular concern over the plight of women and girls sent back to Afghanistan, which has been under Taliban rule for four years. On 31 July, Pakistan confirmed that Afghan refugees would be deported under an ongoing ‘Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan’. UNHCR has received reports of arrests and detention of Afghans across the country, […]
Some 21 months have passed since the 7 October armed attacks on Israel which sparked the current brutal conflict. Thousands have died and much of Gaza has been laid to waste, but life must continue, according to the correspondent, who is remaining anonymous for security reasons. “Those who live here in Gaza don’t need long […]
“I used to easily receive aid distributed by the UN,” Abir Safi, a displaced person from the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, told UN News. “Now, we get nothing. I risk my life by going to the Zikim crossing and returning with an empty bag. All I want is to return to my children with […]
With many victims believed to be Ethiopian nationals, this heartbreaking incident highlights the “urgent need to address the dangers of irregular migration along the Eastern Route,” one of the busiest and riskiest migration routes in the world mainly used by people from the Horn of Africa, said the IOM in a statement on Tuesday. “Every life […]
It has now been 842 days since conflict between troops from the military government and their former allies-turned-rivals in the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted in Sudan, turning the country into the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Heavy fighting continues in North Darfur State, with multiple civilian casualties reported in recent days – most notably […]
Uganda has a progressive refugee policy which enables refugees to work and access public services. This coupled with its geographic proximity to crises has made it the continent’s largest refugee-hosting country. “Emergency funding runs out in September. More children will die of malnutrition, more girls will fall victim to sexual violence, and families will be […]
Speaking at Monday’s Parliamentary Forum of the Third UN Conference on LLDCs, senior UN leaders stressed that political will, matched with national legislative action, is essential if a new decade-long development plan is to make a real difference. There are 32 such countries globally, home to over half a billion people. Many are also among […]
Urging global leaders to rethink development for landlocked nations, the UN chief declared: “We gather today to reaffirm a fundamental truth: geography should never define destiny.” According to the UN Development Programme, of the 32 landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) worldwide, 16 are in Africa, 10 in Asia, four in Europe, and two in Latin America. […]
Meanwhile, on Thursday and again on Saturday, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas militants published disturbing videos of two emaciated Israeli hostages, sparking worldwide outrage and condemnation from UN leaders, including Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday. The hostages pictured, Rom Braslavsk and Evyatar David, are two of the 49 are still being held in Gaza, including […]
Unless an international accord is inked, plastic waste is projected to triple by 2060, causing significant damage – including to our health – according to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The UNEP-led talks follow a decision in 2022 by Member States to meet and develop an international legally binding instrument to end the plastic pollution crisis, including […]
More than 1,180 cholera cases – including an estimated 300 in children – and at least 20 deaths have been reported in Tawila, a town that has absorbed over half a million people fleeing violence since April. Across the wider Darfur region, the toll is even more alarming: nearly 2,140 cases and at least 80 […]
More than 20 heads of state and government and some 3,000 delegates from international organizations, civil society, youth, academia and the private sector are expected to attend the conference. UN News is on the ground in Awaza, reporting on the event as it unfolds. At the flag-raising, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov formally welcomed participants. “Welcome […]
The displacement is the latest consequence of a cascade of overlapping emergencies in the country – including armed violence, climate shocks, disease outbreaks and a severe funding shortfall. Since January, over 95,000 people have fled insecurity in Cabo Delgado and humanitarian access is becoming increasingly fragile. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of […]
Earning a living has become a daily struggle, and hundreds of men, women and children stand in endless queues, under the scorching sun, outside the few community kitchens that serve nothing but lentil soup. A community kitchen in western Gaza reveals a panorama of painful scenes amid displaced people suffering, their cries for help and […]
Briefing ambassadors in the Security Council, Miroslav Jenča, Assistant Secretary-General for Europe in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), renewed the call for an immediate ceasefire and a return to diplomacy to end the devastation. “Ukrainian people have endured nearly three-and-a-half years of unimaginable horrors, death, devastation and destruction. They urgently need relief […]
The months-long deprivation of most life-sustaining basic goods has led to a deepening of the crisis. More than 100 people were killed, and hundreds of others injured, along food convoy routes and near Israeli-militarised distribution hubs in the past two days alone. As one in three people currently going days without food, OCHA reiterated […]
Across the region, nations face food-related challenges notably due to geographical remoteness, lack of local available resources and exposure to climate change. “The Caribbean is particularly vulnerable to natural hazards and supply chain disruptions, which can cause increases in food prices,” said, Brian Bogart. head of WFP for the region. “It’s deeply concerning that many people […]